Virginia is for Lovers
It’s already 82 degrees as we’re driving down the parkway Saturday morning. My right ear hurts with a possible ear infection and I wonder if I made a mistake of not going to the doctor (again). My head is heavy with all that’s occurring in the country we call home. This isn’t the way it was supposed to be. These aren’t the words I was supposed to write. But in many ways, my life has always been this way. Accomplishments, celebrations, even new beginnings laced with chaos, hurt, and self destruction. But this time it’s different. For those of you who don’t know us personally, none of this makes sense. And I teeter totter on how much I long to share/explain. But I think it’s meant for another time.
We arrive at a farm in Rihnent, Virginia and are greeted by a tan, older woman named Emily. She’s wearing a pink cloth face mask and I can’t help but stare at her striking white hair and physique. She’s from New Mexico but moved here 9 months ago to live with her daughter, Kate, who moved from Vermont. The farm has 6 horses - a mix of event horses and rescues, one retired from racing. They’re friendly and beautiful but the black one in the second stall is absolutely stunning. After getting adjusted and scoping out where we’ll park the van, we head to Shenandoah National Park and decide to drive the bottom half of Skyline Drive. It’s surrounded by woods and the Blue Ridge Mountains so the drive itself is amazing. Around 6:30 PM, we notice the sky beginning to change and I wonder why so early since sunset isn’t until 8:30 PM. It’s around 8 when the golden light begins to pour among the trees so we decide to stay put at Crimora Lake Overlook and watch the sun go down. Off to our left, the mountains remind us of our time in Hawaii while the valley’s painted entirely gold. We’re in awe of the beauty and make sure to embrace it. It’s after 9 and the colors still show, but we’re tired so we head home.
For the first time, I actually sleep and awaken with an appreciation for my surroundings. Jason begins cooking eggs with avocado and cheese on our camp stove outside while I decide to use our outdoor shower. The water is cold since we didn’t leave it in the sun but after a few minutes, it’s refreshing and I’m happy. I get dressed, brush my hair, and smile as I say out loud, “this is amazing”. We eat our eggs, drink our tea, and coffee, pack up, and head to the park again. This time we drive from the top to the middle and although each overlook is more beautiful than the next, we’re honestly tired and a bit cranky from constantly getting in and out of the van. As the day comes to an end, we’re disappointed by the last overlooks. While most reveal mountain ranges and the valley below, the ones toward the end are less so. We leave before sunset and end up having our first fight on the road. But it doesn’t last long since we know what’s on each other’s minds.
The next morning, I’m tired from lack of sleep but we head to the park one last time to take in the views and film some video on our GoPro. We head to Luray Caverns and laugh about the tackiness of the outside. It looks like some crappy hotel but the caves are what matter and luckily, they don’t disappoint. We spend the tour amazed by nature and fascinated by it’s test of time. As we get ready to leave, I strip off my jeans and throw on my yellow dress. Jason and I share some granola bars, make our way towards the highway, and laugh about something as we head towards Asheville, North Carolina.
